Just a Dream
by Halpert-fan
Summary: Happily ever after was usually happy...Of course, that was before Haruhi became the heroine. ON HIATUS
1. Cinderella

**Note from the Author:** I actually started this as a writing exercise, but I thought it was kind of a fun idea, so...here it is. Inspired by episode 13 of Ouran Host Club (Haruhi in Wonderland), comes the new set of fairytale stories poor Haruhi is living (or dreaming...) through, *insert semi-evil laugh*. I had a lot fun writing this, and I hope you have as much fun reading it. :) If any of you have a fairytale you want to see, just let me know! I'd be more than happy to write it!

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Ouran High School Host Club or any of the characters, no matter how much I may want to.

* * *

Kotoko Fujioka had been an avid lover of fairy tales. Haruhi couldn't remember a night before her mother died when she wouldn't hear a story of a lovely heroine who ends up triumphing over some sort of fictional evil. And they almost always ended up with the prince of their dreams in the end. Haruhi had thought these stories were illogical and unrealistic. She hadn't cared for them much despite Kotoko's obsession and disappointment that her daughter didn't share her interest.

But even though Haruhi didn't care for the stories themselves, she couldn't seem to erase them from her subconscious. Years after Kotoko's death, they were still there, invading Haruhi's dreams. As much as Haruhi would have liked to get rid of the dreams based off the stories she didn't particularly care for, she couldn't. When she was younger, Haruhi wondered if she could just stop dreaming altogether, but that didn't work very well either. But the thought did still cross her mind every now and then…

In fact, it was crossing her mind right at that moment, when her eyes started getting droopy and her mind started to remember she had gotten only a couple hours of sleep that previous night. Haruhi felt her head lay itself down on the table, attempting to drown out the sounds of the ever-noisy host club. Tamaki and the twins were just fighting with each other anyway, it's not like anyone needed her around for that. And as much as Haruhi wanted to stay awake…she just couldn't.

"Oh great…" Haruhi sighed to herself, "Another one?" She looked around her in horror. Everything in the small room looked like it was made of wood and smelled like sawdust. And it was so cramped too. The ceiling was even slanted. Was she in an attic? She couldn't be…there was a bed in the corner which told her it had to be…a room…

"Get me out of here," Haruhi whined to herself, recognizing where her mother's fantasies had put her this time. She glanced down and sure enough, Haruhi was wearing patched up pieces of different colored cloths fashioned into a dress of some sort. On her head, to complete the get up, was a matching bandana. As though one couldn't work without a bandana…

"Haruhi!" coaxed a familiar voice from behind a few walls and down a few stairs. Haruhi spun around to face the exit. A broom and a bucket sat waiting for her by the door. Haruhi sighed and mechanically picked them up before walking towards the source of the call.

"Coming!" she shouted back, moving her feet as fast as they could go without tripping on the broom, or spilling the day-old contents of the bucket.

"Haruhi!" shouted two voices this time. Still familiar, but this time a little angrier- and definitely not containing the first voice she had heard.

"I said I'm coming! Geez, can't you guys wait for just a se-" Haruhi started to complain but she cut herself short when she reached the main room. Wasn't she supposed to have an evil step-mother, and two evil step-sisters? Haruhi remembered the story being that way…but…

"Now really, Haruhi, is that any way to talk to the people giving you a home, and let's not forget food, shall we?" said Haruhi's step-mother? Kyouya, "Unless I'm mistaken, we're your only providers." Haruhi felt one twitch. This was becoming a nightmare.

"Yeah, Haruhi, you could try to be a little more grateful." Haruhi's eyes slowly moved over to step-sister? number one, Kaoru.

"Yeah, no kidding," step-sister? number two, Hikaru, threw in. Haruhi couldn't move. There was no way she was going through this, dream or not. The twins shot her an equally frustrated look from over their shoulders as they leaned against the way too expensive couch.

"That's great," Haruhi said quickly, "Now what do you want, or can I go back up to my room, now?"

"So pushy," Kaoru pointed out in his defense.

"There's mail," Hikaru finally told the waiting Haruhi, "Go get it." Haruhi glanced over to the door only a few feet from the back of the couch they were sitting on.

"It's right behind you, can't you go-" Haruhi tried to ask, but she should have understood that her role doesn't get to finish many sentences and the ones that are completed are the ones no one listens to.

"Come on, we wanna read it!" the twins whined in unison.

"Don't forget, Haruhi, your father entrusted _me_ with his possessions before he died," Kyouya reminded heartlessly. If this were the real story, Haruhi would have felt a stab of pain and nostalgia at the thought of her father's death, but this was a dream and Haruhi knew better than that. Though it still made her horribly frustrated that the strange, hidden relationship between Kyouya and Ranka still existed even in a horrible nightmare such as this one.

Haruhi sighed and took the few short steps to the door to pick up the single letter that had been slipped through the flap. The _envelope _felt fancy, it made Haruhi wonder what kind of fancy-ness lay beyond it. She took a quick glance at the back, only being able to catch their own name in very elegant script before she was required to hand it over to the greedy twins. Hikaru opened it while Kaoru leaned unnecessarily close to read what the letter said.

"How boring," Hikaru said, tossing the letter back to Haruhi, which she caught awkwardly.

"What does it say?" Kyouya inquired, still appearing to be off in his own world rather than in the one those surrounding him were in. _They don't even change when I'm dreaming…_Haruhi thought, almost remorsefully, but then again…

"It's just about some stupid party up at the palace tonight," the older twin explained.

"Thanks for nothing, Haruhi, that letter was just a waste of time," Kaoru pouted.

"It's not my fault it sucks," Haruhi snapped. Hikaru groaned.

"I'm getting really sick of all your rude comments, Haruhi, go back upstairs," he ordered, trying to contain his fury. Haruhi swore she felt a vein pop.

"My pleasure," she mumbled through gritted teeth while proceeding to turn around and walk up the creaky stairs. At the top, Haruhi looked down at the letter that had been thrown into her hands. Something this fancy couldn't be neglected…

Haruhi looked over her shoulder before walking into her room. She leaned against the door as her own lock, and unfolded the letter. Hikaru had been right. It didn't look all that interesting. Just a regular old party.

"Well, I'm gonna end up going, so I might as well like it," Haruhi grumbled miserably to herself.

"Haru-chan's not a good Cinderella!" shouted a small voice from across the room. Haruhi jumped and fumbled with the letter a moment before it lay sound in her hands again. Still calming down from the surprise, she looked to the source of the voice and noticed another sight that made her wonder if she ever really did love her mother.

Hunny was smiling in the corner practically unchanged except for the really baggy clothes and large brown ears placed on his head. Behind him, of course, was Mori, looking like a taller, quieter, less cheerful version of the barely five foot tall boy next to him.

"Sorry, Hunny-sempai, but I could really care less if I'm a good Cinderella or not. I just want to get this dream over with," Haruhi pointed out through her gradually slowing breath.

"But Haru-chan! This is fun!" Hunny bounced, leaping towards her.

"Yeah…" Mori agreed, sounding like he didn't really mean it, but Haruhi assumed he probably did.

"Not really," Haruhi tried to protest, but her poor argument was ignored.

"Can you guess who we are?" Hunny asked with anticipation. He smiled brightly, Hunny-flowers dancing around him, waiting for an answer.

"Um…well, I guess the ears kinda make you mice, right?" Haruhi played along.

"Yup! We're supposed to cheer you up! But you're only sad that you're in this dream…" Hunny thought for a minute, wondering how he could fulfill his duty as one of the mouse friends properly.

"Haruhi! We're going out!" Haruhi heard the twins shout from the first floor.

"And would you mind cleaning the house while we're gone?" she heard Kyouya command in the form of a question, "Your previous work needs improvement."

"They're going already?" Haruhi asked in wonder.

"Haru-chan, this is a dream!" Hunny reminded, "Of course the boring parts will be skipped!"

"It _is_ a dream…" Mori repeated. Haruhi stared at the both of them, knowing they were right, but not enjoying being proved wrong in her own mind.

"I'm gonna clean now," she said quietly, opening the door and walking down the dusty steps. In all actuality, Haruhi would have much preferred the dream if she had just cleaned the rest of the evening, but that wasn't the way the story went.

On her way down, Haruhi was followed by a perfectly silent Mori and a quietly giggly Hunny, who seemed to be enjoying himself much more than he should have been.

"You guys don't need to be here," Haruhi told them, "It really won't be that interesting to watch." As she finished her sentence, Haruhi felt a chill run up and down her spine. That laugh…it couldn't be. Shrieking so clearly throughout the room came the familiar and unending laugh of none other than…

"Renge?" Haruhi was actually shocked this time seeing Renge spin up out of nowhere dressed in a very sparkly dress with a cartoony wand and wings to match.

"Haruhi, I'm disappointed!" Renge immediately shouted after the spinning and laughing ceased, "You are in the most well known and commonly used fairytale in the history of story-telling and you are playing your part horribly! You ought to be ashamed in yourself!"

"I'm sorry, I've just never really been one for-" Haruhi started apologizing and excusing, but she wasn't allowed to speak. Again.

"Cinderella is supposed to be a miserable young servant girl who only wants to meet her Prince Charming and live happily ever after," Renge sighed, fantasizing about her own story-to-be, "It's not that hard!"

"I just-" Haruhi tried again, but she gave up on her own this time, "Never mind…Can we just get this over with?" Renge only looked angrier with that comment. Haruhi knew it was dangerous to damage an otaku's dreams, but she figured it was her dream. Why not use it to her advantage?

"Fine," Renge agreed reluctantly, "I hope you have a miserable time." She waved her wand just as reluctantly, filling the room instantly with a puff of smoke. Haruhi covered her mouth, trying to stifle the fit of coughs escaping from her throat, but failing. Once the colorful smoke cleared, Haruhi looked down and was instantly reminded of her dad. The frilly yet silky look of the blue dress was something he would have begged her to wear for hours. And the white gloves to go with it? Oh yeah, it was her dad's work all right, even if it did come from Renge's magical puff of smoke.

"Aren't you guys supposed to change?" Haruhi asked, noticing an untransformed Hunny and Mori still behind her.

"No, Haru-chan, we just bought you a carriage," Hunny quickly explained, waving his hands and still smiling.

"It's outside…" Mori told Haruhi, who felt rather stupid having to pick up her dress a little in order to walk normally towards the carriage that had apparently been bought for her previously.

"See you guys later," Haruhi farewelled in sadness under her breath, stepping out the door with difficulty. She wondered how people could move around so easily in high heels. Not only was it a pain on the toes, but being forced to tip-toe everywhere was a living hell.

The ride to the palace felt abnormally short, considering Haruhi was sure she was living out in the country, but as Hunny had pointed out, it was a dream. It was better than doing nothing, right?

As Haruhi stepped out of the carriage with the assistance of some stuck up looking man, she couldn't help but think of all the miserable aspects of being here. She danced horribly. She'd rather be doing something productive. She didn't like fairytales. Anything that would keep her mind set where it was.

"Huh, seems I'm late," Haruhi said to herself, taking a look at the large clock towering above the setting, "Renge forgot to tell me about the midnight rule…Maybe it doesn't apply. Or maybe I'll just wake up." She kept mumbling away to herself while climbing the steps to the doorway and even until she stood in front of the steps down into the ballroom._ Why are there so many steps? I feel bad for Cinderella, having to walk up and down all the time in these shoes_, Haruhi thought, now surrounded people and not wanting to speak aloud to herself in public.

Haruhi wondered why no one in the room stopped. Wasn't that usually how Cinderella stories went? Everyone stopped to watch her and see how pretty she was? Well, she didn't look much different than she normally did, so it made sense…and it was a little relieving to have something logical happen for a change.

Haruhi began to move towards the first step when she noticed one difference among the large crowd at the bottom of the stairs. One person had stopped. Haruhi tried to ignore that fact and, with much trouble, continued to slowly make her way down the stairs. Downhill in a puffy gown and two inch heels was hard…Haruhi had to stare at her feet the whole time in order to keep her balance. She smiled in success when she at last reached the bottom step, and looked up, giving her neck a rest, only to be stopped in surprise by a figure staring back at her.

"About time you showed up," a soft voice greeted with a smile as gentle as the voice.

"Would everyone stop getting on me about how I'm messing up the story?" Haruhi shot, about ready to lose it, "I get the point. I don't…need…" She trailed off when she noticed who was obviously the prince of the story bow down with his hand extended. She felt herself blush unwillingly.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, never breaking out of his elegant character. Haruhi didn't know what compelled her to, but she took his hand and let herself be led out onto the floor.

"You know I can't dance very well, sempai," Haruhi reminded, still staring at her feet, pleading she wouldn't trip.

"Well then I suppose we need to go somewhere I can teach you," Tamaki suggested, letting go of one of Haruhi's hands and hurriedly leading her to a large set of glass doors out into the cold night. Haruhi knew it had to come eventually, but it still caused her heart to beat a little faster.

"How's this?" Tamaki asked, lifting Haruhi's hand again and sliding his free hand around her waist. Haruhi didn't notice it was getting a little more difficult to breathe, so she put her hand on his shoulder and once again let herself be let around. Her eyes went back to her feet as she did everything in her power to concentrate.

"Haruhi," Tamaki began to instruct, "The first rule about dancing is to look at your partner, not your feet." Haruhi quickly looked back up, feeling embarrassed, but seeing Tamaki wasn't actually laughing at her got rid of some of the embarrassment.

"You should dress like this more often," Tamaki begged in a voice that was so calm it almost felt like a suggestion, but it still made Haruhi roll her eyes, "You look adorable." The small, concealed squeak in his voice told Haruhi that dream or not, Tamaki was still plain old Tamaki- just much more enveloped in a different character.

"Thanks, sempai, but you should know me a little better than that," Haruhi groaned, wishing the battle between her and the world of what her preference in wardrobe should be in public would come to an end. It was her choice, right? It's not like she was opposed to more feminine clothing, she just thought it was comfier to wear bigger, baggier clothing instead.

"Haruhi," Tamaki whined, "You're dreaming…can't you call me by my name?" He did have a point. It wasn't the real Tamaki, so where was the harm or risk of being impolite?

"I…guess I could…" Haruhi quietly agreed, still unsure if it were okay or not. Tamaki beamed, waiting for Haruhi to just come out with it and say his name- free of titles. Haruhi felt a smile cross her face, seeing his ridiculous anticipation. She couldn't hold back a small laugh.

Haruhi felt herself turn an even brighter shade of pink when she saw Tamaki just smiling back at her, his eyes just soaking her in.

"See, Haruhi?" he began to say, stopping his feet, "You've been dancing this whole time and you did just fine."

"I guess…" Haruhi agreed, "Um…thanks."

And that's when it clicked.

Tamaki had stopped, but he hadn't let go of Haruhi. She had hardly noticed, but it was clear now. Her heart was about to break her ribs. The hand around her waist tightened and Haruhi felt herself be laid back on the thin air- with Tamaki as her support from falling to the ground. Only one high heeled foot remained on the ground. It would've been a little more frightening had it not been Tamaki and had her nerves not been occupied with the fact that Tamaki was barely an inch away from her face. She felt her eyes close mechanically, accepting her Cinderella fate. She could feel Tamaki's lips…when the clock chimed once. Haruhi's eyes shot open but not to her dream world. She was back in the club room, looking out the window to see a bright pink and orange sunset.

"You okay, Haruhi?" she heard Hikaru ask from down the table.

"Yeah, you're shaking," Kaoru added, "Did you have a nightmare or something?"

"It's all your fault she's awake!" Tamaki shouted in melodramatic misery, "If you hadn't been so noisy, my lovely daughter would still be sound asleep!"

"You're just mad cuz you liked watching her sleep," Kaoru fought.

"Pervert," both twins finished together. Haruhi didn't pay any further attention when Tamaki joined in. The sight or sound of him made her jolt. Had she really just been dreaming…that?

"You didn't miss out on anything important, so I'll let it slide this time," Kyouya began, scribbling away in his notebook, "but I'd prefer if you didn't fall asleep during club meetings again, Haruhi."

"Oh…yeah, sorry," Haruhi apologized, still a little shaken, "I just…had a late night I guess…"

"Late night?!" Tamaki repeated, "You must be exhausted! Go home right now and rest!" He pointed out the door, running to where Haruhi was seated. Haruhi felt herself tense up.

"Y-you're right, s-sempai, I should probably be going," she stuttered through an obviously fake laugh, scrambling from her chair to move away from Tamaki, "See you guys tomorrow!"

Listening to all of them say goodbye back, Haruhi left the clubroom, unable to stop shaking and unable to understand what her dream was trying to tell her.


	2. Snow White

**Note from the Author:** Hello everyone! My internet's been down for a couple of days, so I haven't yet been able to post this chapter ^-^; Sorry... Considering I was cooped up in the lonely world of no internet, I've already begun the next chapter and have another idea coming out, too, so if all goes according to plan, there will be two new chapters up really soon! Now I shall stand in your way no longer! Enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Ouran High School Host Club or any of the characters, no matter how much I may want to.

* * *

Haruhi had nearly recovered from her dream by the time she arrived home, but she still couldn't get rid of that single moment in her dream…when she had been so close…Haruhi jumped again, accidentally slamming the front door shut in her surprise.

All she had to do was stop thinking about it. Was it really that hard? It was just a dream after all. It's not like it actually happened. That would be even worse.

Haruhi turned towards the kitchen, wondering if she should start dinner early. Her dad wouldn't be back for a little while, maybe it was best to just wait. She wasn't very hungry anyway.

"I should probably study first," Haruhi justified, walking past the doorway to the kitchen and into her room. She trudged her way to the desk in the corner, throwing her books onto the desk before she sat down. Haruhi sighed as she pulled out the chair with the hope that distracting herself with more important things such as school would keep away the thoughts of her dream.

She opened up the math book first and leaned over it attentively, happy and ready to prove to herself once again she was deserving of the scholarship she possessed. She picked up her pencil and began to write out each homework problem. The lead moved mechanically across the page, not stopping once.

Until the very last problem.

Haruhi wondered why she was having so much trouble when she had just one problem left. It was just like all the others. She looked over to the clock without thinking. She had been working for about an hour and a half. It hadn't been that long, but her eyes were drooping anyway.

Haruhi felt the pencil fall out of her loosening grip and her head grow heavy, eventually losing its balance and laying itself down on top of her arms. A quick nap wouldn't hurt…after all, it had been the reason she had left the club early. She needed to make up the sleep she lost that previous night. Ten minutes…It wouldn't hurt a thing…

Haruhi felt rather comfortable sleeping at her desk until she felt an odd feeling similar to waking up. She opened her eyes, but not where she was supposed to. Haruhi groaned.

"It's great that I fell asleep, but isn't one a day enough?" Haruhi asked angrily to no one. The Cinderella story had been more than enough, but this…this was pathetic. Haruhi's eyes kept moving back and forth to all the happy little forest creatures running and jumping around among the trees that began a forest. Everything was so…bubbly. Haruhi loved cute things. They were adorable. But since when did birds have big, round rosy cheeks and sing songs everyone knows and loves? And last time Haruhi checked, deer didn't smile like that and they definitely didn't approach a human of their own volition. The butterflies even had some kind of intelligent mind. This wasn't cute, this was just strange.

So where am I now? Haruhi thought with a disappointed sigh. Her eyes shifted down to look at herself and instantly recognized her role. Who else wore a puffy yellow skirt and equally puffy white and blue sleeves? Haruhi didn't mind so much- she had worn a fair share of puffy things in her life, but the odd flap poking from the back of her dress was a little much. And she couldn't forget the red bow she just knew was in her hair.

"Well, what now?" Haruhi asked aloud, wondering if the animals would talk to her here too, "I'm not singing, that's for sure."

"Haruhiii!" sang a trying to be feminine voice from far too off in the distance. Haruhi knew she wasn't supposed to have heard the call, but it must have been needed to further the plot, giving her no choice but to respond.

"Haruhi, my darling!! Come here a moment!" Assuming she was being called from the large, pretty castle she was standing in front of, Haruhi started walking towards the door. Just as the Cinderella dream had been, she seemed to be moving a lot quicker than she did when she was awake. She thought she was walking just like any other day, but she was inside and halfway down a hallway before she knew it. Haruhi wasn't complaining, particularly because she didn't really know where she was going, but it did make things a touch weirder.

"Haruhi!" the voice called again, a little clearer. Haruhi recognized it this time. How could she not? She had grown up with that voice.

"Coming, dad, just give me a sec!" Haruhi answered, assuming she was heading in his direction. His call had been louder, so there was really no other explanation. The large wooden door just up ahead, hidden in the depths of the dimly lit hallway, seemed to be placed suspiciously enough that it could be considered part of the story. Haruhi walked a little faster until she could place her hands on the wood in need of sanding and push the heavy door open just enough for her to get through.

"Haruhi!" Ranka cheered, throwing up his arms and skipping merrily to his daughter, wrapping her in a tight, fatherly hug. Haruhi wanted to laugh seeing him in a flowing purple dress and black cape, considering he was anything but sinister, and he usually didn't wear gowns- though a fan of skirts, but she refrained.

"Haruhi, I've decided something wonderful!" Ranka declared, letting go of his daughter. Haruhi waiting cheerfully to hear what her loving father had to say, wondering how on earth the story she was experiencing would be the proper telling of Snow White.

"I've decided you're too beautiful, just like your mother, and I don't want any horrible, nasty boys sneaking after you!" Ranka unexpectedly told her with a bright smile, "So you're going to stay here in this room forever and ever and always! Isn't that wonderful?" Haruhi felt a wave of semi-panic flood over her. So this was how the story was going to continue. At least they gave her a good reason to run away.

Which Haruhi did.

"Y-yeah, that sounds great, dad," Haruhi tried to agree casually while slowly backing up to the crack in the door, "But, um, I just…kinda like the outdoors, you know?" And with that, she turned around and began to run as fast as her feet could go. The skirt, being as puffy as it was, didn't hinder the movement of her legs too horribly, allowing Haruhi to run almost at her usual rate.

The fresh air filled with the twitter of chirping birds enveloped her as though she had been inside for as long as her dad had wanted her to stay. But Haruhi didn't stop there. She kept running, knowing eventually, when she had run far enough into the merry looking woods, she'd come across a lovely place to stay.

I'd probably be able to run a lot faster if I didn't have to worry about tripping on all these animals… Haruhi's thoughts whined, too out of breath to speak, but it was the truth. Every furry creature she had seen upon entering her dream felt the obligation to accompany her to wherever she may be going.

Wait a minute…didn't I just skip a whole scene in my dream? I guess dad doesn't need a mirror to think he's pretty…and I definitely didn't need some hunter guy to tell me to run away from that idea, Haruhi kept thinking to pass the time. She must have been too caught up in thought, though, because she ran right into another wooden door desperately in need of sanding.

"That would have hurt if I had been awake…" Haruhi mused, pushing the door open slowly to peek inside. Everything seemed normal sized, for what was supposed to be a dwarf home. It was to Haruhi's benefit though, so there weren't any problems.

"What are you doing here?" asked an angry voice. Haruhi spun around, ready to apologize, but she saw no one. Oh right, she quietly remembered, dwarves. Haruhi looked down at her feet and felt ready to burst.

There, standing three feet off the ground, were the cutest most adorable, big-headed creatures she had ever seen. She had no idea the people she knew in every day life could be so cuddly if made into chibis. Big eyes, big heads. Big eyes, big heads! It was all she could concentrate on. Haruhi remained silent as she stared at the cute little chibis, not stopping until the chibi Hikaru started vigorously waving his hand in front of her face.

"Hello?! I said, 'What are you doing here?'" he repeated more furiously than before.

"Oh, um, uh, right…" Haruhi stuttered, wanting to grab every single one of them and hug them all individually. It had to be the Snow White inside of her…

"Hika-chan, she's supposed to be here!" cried the chibi Hunny, "It's part of the story! Hi, Haru-chan! I'm small, see?"

"Yeah, you are…" Haruhi agreed, starting to blush when she saw the somehow more adorable than before Hunny beam at her. And the chibi Mori waving next to him only completed the picture.

"Whether we all know the story or not, we should probably still formally introduce ourselves, it's only polite," chibi Kyouya pointed out, scribbling in a teeny black notebook, "Hello Miss Haruhi, I'm playing the role of the leader of this mini

troop-"

"Which means you're Doc, right?" Haruhi finished, suddenly getting excited around the three feet tall, big headed bundles of joy, "Um, and let me guess…" She pointed to chibi Hunny. "You're Happy-" Her finger moved to the chibi Mori. "I'm going to guess you're Sleepy-" She noticed the surprising sight of a chibi Shiro from the elementary school standing off in the corner, covering his nose and looking angry. "You must be Sneezy, because why would Grumpy cover his nose-" Haruhi then saw a chibi hooded figure with his back turned and pointed at him. "Nekozawa has to be bashful, because he's always hiding-" Haruhi stopped short. The chibi twins looked equally angry.

"That's right, we both wanted to be Grumpy, so that's what we are, deal with it," chibi Hikaru and Kaoru said together, folding their arms and lifting their noses to the sky simultaneously.

"But then you're one short," Haruhi said, the cute attack wearing off, "Aren't there supposed to be seven of you?"

"Yeah, but who really cares?" chibi Hikaru harshly pointed out, shoving past the girl almost three times his height and making his way into the too large for them house. Chibi Kaoru followed immediately after. And while there was a clearing, the other proceeded to enter their home as well.

"Considering this is a representation of Snow White," chibi Kyouya began, stopping at the doorway before walking in, "And it doesn't look like you have anywhere else to go, you're welcome to stay here, if you'd like."

"Thanks," Haruhi smiled, "That's really nice of you, sempai." Who cares if it were a dream, Kyouya offering anything was a good deed. It needed to be appreciated and thanked.

"It's my pleasure," chibi Kyouya went on, "Of course, there is the trifling matter of rent, but we can come to that conclusion later. For now, just enjoy yourself. This is a dream after all." He went through the door, leaving Haruhi to stand in awe, as expected as it should have been. She sighed with a groan, then walked back into the house again.

"Haru-chan! You cook, right?" chibi Hunny asked excitedly, bouncing up onto a nearby chair, "Do you think you could bake a cake? I'm starving!"

"Um, yeah, sure," Haruhi agreed. It would kill some time until the next plot twist. "What kind-" chibi Shiro let out a loud sneeze, making Haruhi jump and stutter over her words. "um…what kind do you want?"

"Chocolate!" chibi Hunny declared as though he had an answer planned for this moment his whole life.

"Is everyone else okay with that?" Haruhi wanted to clear up before actually making the cake.

"Whatever," the chibi twins said together, shrugging their arms.

"Chocolate's good…" chibi Mori answered, curling up by chibi Hunny's chair and laying his head on his knees.

"Yes," chibi Nekozawa said quietly from behind the frame of another doorway leading to what looked like the darkest room imaginable. Chibi Shiro sneezed again while nodding.

"Why won't I stop sneezing?!" he yelled with an obviously miserable groan.

"Fine by me," chibi Kyouya agreed last, leaning against the wall nearest to the front door and right next to a long line of counters. How do they reach anything? Haruhi thought, noticing all the chibis were about half the size of their possessions.

"Okay, then, chocolate it is," Haruhi finalized, opening the nearest cupboard to see what was inside. She didn't bother asking anyone, assuming they never actually went into these cupboards themselves. Surprisingly, everything she needed was at hand, and sat way above the ground. How it got there, Haruhi didn't know, but it didn't really matter. She was in a dream, and a fairytale. Nothing needed to make sense.

By the time Haruhi had put the cake in the oven, with chibi Hunny cheering non-stop in the background and being yelled at by the angry, or rather grumpy, chibi twins all the while, there was a loud knock on the front door. Chibi Nekozawa screamed and ran into the dark room when Haruhi opened the door, letting in a flood of sunlight. Wasn't he outside no more than an hour ago? she wondered, Oh well. That's Nekozawa-sempai, I guess…

"Oh, Miss Ayanokoji, why are you here?" Haruhi asked, seeing the ever-peeved rich girl from her first day as a host standing still-peeved at the door.

"Your ridiculous excuse for a father told me to deliver this for you, so here I am," she told the bewildered Haruhi, "He said that I'd 'fit the part better,' whatever that means."

"No, I meant why are you in my dream," Haruhi corrected, "But never mind that, what did he bring?" Haruhi looked down at Ayanokoji's hands to see a covered basket cradled in her arms. Ayanokoji pulled back the blue cloth that sat on top of the contents of the basket to reveal a lovely set of apples and a piece of paper from her dad with nothing but a few pink hearts drawn on it.

"Go ahead and take one," Ayanokoji coaxed, "They're delicious, I had one earlier." The suspicious glare and tone of voice should have sent a spark of realization through Haruhi, but for some odd reason, being Snow White made her IQ shrink from its usual height.

"Well, thanks, that's really nice of you," Haruhi said quickly with a bright smile. Most of the chibis in the room just sighed, but chibi Hunny actually tried to stop Haruhi while she picked up a shiny red apple from the basket.

"No, Haru-chan!" he said dramatically with a hand outstretched, "We haven't even left the house again! You can't progress the story until it's done right!" But Haruhi didn't pay attention. After the Cinderella dream, she planned to block out any criticism from bystanders in her dreams. She was the one sleeping and she could do things however she wanted.

Slowly and epically, Haruhi took a bite of the apple. The moment she pulled the fruit away from her mouth, she began to feel dizzy. The world around her started to move back and forth, sometimes in little circles. She tried to keep her balance, but she just couldn't. Haruhi fell to the ground, wondering how one passed out in a dream.

As though no time had passed, Haruhi felt her eyes twitch open. Had she really just been sleeping while she was sleeping? Did that make any logical sense at all? Shaking off the thought, Haruhi sat up, rubbing her eyes.

She was on a cold surface. Flat too. Like a pure white board. Lining the edges were small bushes of bright colored flowers. She had been placed a little ways from the house. It could be seen not too far off. All the chibis were standing in a row, holding back laughs. All but chibi Nekozawa, who didn't seem to be anywhere…

"What's so funny…?" Haruhi asked, still a little groggy from her "sleep." She looked around to see if she could find anything worth laughing at. Haruhi felt herself go rigid when she turned her head to see a bit of a shaken prince figure by the board she had been laid on.

"G-good morning," a slightly nervous Tamaki laughed with a wave as small and pathetic as his attempt to lighten whatever mood was around. Haruhi hoped she didn't know what had happened…She began to run through a chain of thoughts to calm her rapidly beating heart down. Nothing had technically happened. She was in a dream and she had been "passed out" for that part. The conclusion of her Cinderella dream flashed through her Snow White mind. Haruhi swore she was sweating.

"Th-there just seemed no way to wake you up, so I, uh…" Tamaki rambled, "Well, you know, they said it would work, and it did, so…" He proceeded to poke his fingers together, blushing just a little.

Haruhi felt her head grow light again. She began to sway where she sat. Everything grew fuzzy, but she did see a worried Tamaki reach out to grab her before she officially fainted.

"Haruhi!" he hurriedly called out to her. Haruhi thought he started to say something else, but she jolted up in the warm reality of her room. Her neck was sore from bending over to lay on her desk. She was shaking again, but not as heavily. Maybe because she hadn't technically been awake for the actual…dare she say it, kiss.

"Wait a minute," Haruhi thought to herself, "I wasn't awake for any of it." The thought calmed her down a bit, but she still couldn't stop the gentle trembling of her fingers.

"Ah, Haruhi! You're awake!" Ranka cheered from her room's open door, "I came home and saw you were asleep, so I took the liberty of making dinner!" Haruhi laughed weakly. Her dad had never really been the best at cooking…He simply didn't have the experience. But it was sweet and fatherly of him anyway.

"Are you all right?" Ranka asked, becoming concerned, "You're shaking. Did you have a bad dream?" Haruhi felt a small smile cross her lips against her will.

"I'm…I'm not sure…" she told her semi-worried dad, "Never mind. Let's eat. I'm excited to see what you made!" She smiled and jumped out of her chair, listening to her dad's joyous cheers of his accomplishment and his extra step to being the perfect dad. Haruhi didn't think he had to work at it whatsoever, but she didn't think she would mind her dad making dinner every now and then.


	3. Sleeping Beauty

**Note from the Author:** So this doesn't completely follow the original story...in fact, it hardly does, but the picture is exactly the same, and I thought the original just wouldn't suit Haruhi that well if I tried to copy it exactly, so here's the newest version of Sleeping Beauty! Please don't hate me, haha.

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Ouran High School Host Club or any of the characters, no matter how much I may want to.

* * *

Haruhi's burning red eyes watched the digital numbers on the clock switch from 11:59 to midnight. She couldn't keep staying up. And she couldn't keep using the combined thirty minutes of napping taken during the day as an excuse to stay up later, getting some extra studying in. Haruhi was exhausted, but she was somewhat dreading the thought of sleeping at that moment- and this wouldn't be for a lowly ten or twenty minutes. This would be for hours. A whole night's worth of sleep. Would that change her dream? The length, the story…the end? Haruhi sighed. Only one way to find out, she thought miserably, crawling out of her desk, heading straight for her bed. She had been ready for this moment since ten o'clock.

Haruhi didn't bother going to the trouble of actually getting under the covers. She just laid on top of her nicely made bed and closed her eyes, feeling them cool down instantly. They had been screaming at her for hours, it felt only right to give them a break. Haruhi took in a deep breath and let herself be swept away for the third time that day. I hope this doesn't happen tomorrow…Haruhi prayed, wondering if she had said that aloud or not. But she never reached a conclusion.

As Haruhi's old thoughts disappeared, they were immediately replaced with new ones, along with an entire new setting. She was in a forest again. Less cheery, and far less animated than her most recent dream, but still a forest. Apart from her other dreams that day, Haruhi was already walking down a small, hardly noticeable pathway between the trees. She wasn't sure what she was doing there, and this time her clothes gave her no hint. They were just…plain and simple. A blue dress that looked like it belonged in a more medieval time. But lots of fairytales took place around there, Haruhi didn't know where she was or who she was supposed to be at all.

She stopped short when she a figure not far off, pleasantly leaning against a tree, as though waiting for something. Haruhi felt a little nervous approaching, but what other way was there to figure out where she was?

"Um, excuse me…" Haruhi began, walking closer to the figure. It was a boy. Haruhi thought she recognized him, but…she couldn't tell that either. What was going on? Why was she so confused in her own dream?

"Yes, can I help you?" the boy said, standing up straight as he turned to meet her.

"Yeah, if you don't mind, could you tell me what story this is supposed to be?" Haruhi blatantly asked, "I can't tell just by looking, and I'd really like to know before I try anything." The boy just looked at her for a moment before holding back a laugh and trying to cover up his smile.

"Don't worry, you're just a little exhausted. It's been a long day for you," he explained sweetly, "Everything will start to make sense soon." Haruhi didn't know what to say to that. She guessed he was right. Why wouldn't he be? Everything in her dream came from her own mind, and who to know better if she was tired than Haruhi herself? But waiting it out wasn't quite going to do it…

"Um, then, do you think you could tell me how I can get home?" Haruhi asked again. If knowing the plot was going to be delayed, Haruhi thought she might as well wait through it in the comfort of her own home. The boy held back a laugh again. He pointed down the road, in the direction Haruhi had been going.

"Just keep walking, you'll reach it," he told her with a bright smile, reaching out and grabbing her hand as he sunk into a low bow, "But I'm afraid if you can't remember what you're doing, then there's really no need for me to be standing here." Haruhi felt herself blush as he lightly kissed her hand and stood back up.

"I suppose I'll just have to wait until I'm needed next," the boy finished, turning around to face the way Haruhi had come. He began to walk away. Haruhi wanted to stop him, but she wasn't sure how, or if she should, or even why she would want to do such a thing. She just stood there, watching him.

"Well, home comes next, I guess," Haruhi shrugged softly to herself, abandoning the sight of the stranger she had met and proceeded to walk in the direction she had been told to.

Walking along the trees felt almost relaxing. It definitely did wonders for Haruhi's mind. Step by step down the path, Haruhi felt her head get clearer and lighter. By the time she reached the clearing she recognized as home, Haruhi had figured out what story she had been placed in.

"Haru-chan!" cried a teeny red-dressed Hunny from the door of a small, overly-cozy looking cottage, "You're back!" He leaped onto Haruhi's shoulders, spinning her around.

"Yeah, I am," Haruhi said slowly, trying to get her eyes back in focus, "Are you another animal friend, Hunny-sempai?" Hunny leaped off Haruhi's shoulders, relieving her of the pressure- as little as there was.

"Nope! This time I'm a fairy!" Hunny cheered, gracefully spinning around on his heels. Haruhi didn't know why he found calling himself a "fairy" to be a good thing. That was just an embarrassment more than anything else.

"Right…" Haruhi agreed, not sure what else to make of it.

"Hika-chan and Kao-chan are inside, too!" Hunny told the not-as-energetic Haruhi, grabbing her hand and dragging her through the door. The house was a great deal cooler than the air outside. It felt nice and roomy, but Haruhi didn't have to time to appreciate it. Her arms were instantly linked away from her body.

"There you are," the twins whined together, skipping off with Haruhi, further into the house, "We've been waiting all day for you." How could they have been waiting all day…? Haruhi wondered, though she was beginning to accept the oddities that occurred in her most recent dreams.

Her feet scraped against the polished wooden floor as she was carried up the stairs and through a simple wooden door that matched the floorboards. Haruhi was tossed to the floor while the happy, bouncy Hunny popped into the room behind her.

"Hey guys, if you're-" Haruhi tried to complain, but was interrupted when the twins pushed a mannequin of about her size in her direction.

"We figured if you were going to fall asleep and make out with some stranger, you might as well look nice for the occasion," Kaoru said, holding one hand out, almost like he was advertising the article of clothing on the headless mannequin.

"I kept saying it should be blue, but Kaoru insisted it be pink, so if you don't like it, I completely understand," Hikaru threw in harshly, folding his arms in a pout.

"It's one of our mom's designs," Kaoru explained, "We ordered it this morning." Haruhi just stared at the dress hanging off the mannequin's shoulders. They weren't serious, were they? Sure, this was a fairytale, but the dress was so…flowy. And definitely showy, for that matter. There were at least three bright shades of pink coloring the dress, and it looked like the kind of dress that flung out when you spun in it. The first set of sleeves ended in a point, and there looked like there should be a second set where a part of the dress- in a lighter pink -stuck out at the shoulder. Haruhi really wished it didn't fall off the shoulders as much as it looked like it did…But what Haruhi seemed to dislike most of all, was the fact that she couldn't shake away the feeling the twins were just trying to put her in something they thought would be cute on her. Again. Considering no one seemed to change within the confinement of her own dreams, Haruhi believed it was perfectly plausible.

"Thanks guys, but do I really have to wear this?" Haruhi asked in misery, standing up and brushing herself off, though the room looked to be perfectly spotless.

"Of course!" the twins yelled together, forcing Hikaru free of his pouting position, "Now put it on." They hurriedly ran to Haruhi and pushed her closer to the dress, then turned around and quickly left the room. Well aren't they excited, Haruhi thought, knowing exactly why they were in such a hurry…Once again, her assumptions had been correct.

"See you downstairs!" Hunny waved, bouncing out the door, muttering, "She's gonna look so pretty" to himself while he shut the door behind him, following after the twins.

Haruhi sighed long and loud before she started to change. She wanted something to know, whether it could answer back or not, that she wasn't happy with this. Haruhi was especially peeved when she felt the dress cling to her skin- particularly her arms. It was definitely well-fitting. Haruhi couldn't see how a dress would ever be designed this way. Maybe it was supposed to be bigger and she could use that as an excuse to take off the flowy thing. Better go tell Hikaru and Kaoru, Haruhi's laughing mind triumphantly thought. She opened the door and walked down the steps, ready and willing to get out of the dress. But she wasn't that lucky…

"Perfect!" the twins cheered together, each throwing up the two-fingered sign of victory that once belonged to a rather loud and violent group of violence-protesters. Haruhi groaned.

"Are you sure?" she asked in desperation, "It feels a little tight…"

"Nonsense, it looks great!" Kaoru shook off.

"Yeah, no kidding! Why couldn't I be the prince?" Hikaru laughed awkwardly, but found himself blushing anyway.

"Wow, Haru-chan! You look so cute!" Hunny complimented with excitement. Haruhi wanted to keep fighting the dress, but the showering of compliments only made her cheeks turn a light pink, similar to one of the shades on the dress, and stand at the base of the steps feeling embarrassed.

The front door opened, causing Haruhi to jump and snap out of her bashful state. Mori poked his head into the room from outside.

"Mitsukuni…" he said, "You need to come now…"

"Takashi!" Hunny quickly greeted, "Okay, we'll be right there!" Hunny turned to look at Haruhi. "Hika-chan, Kao-chan, and I all have to go to the castle for a little while. We have to be sure you're not around any spinning wheels!"

"I don't see why, I mean it's pretty obvious she'll prick her finger or whatever happens," Hikaru stated. He had a point no one could deny.

"But that's part of the story Hika-chan," Hunny began to cry. As Haruhi fell asleep more and more, she found herself more inclined to believe Hunny really admired fairytales.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Hikaru sighed, adding in a mumble, "Just think the story would be better if she didn't have to meet some stranger prince guy…Seems cliché and stupid if you ask me." But even while he was mumbling away in his sorrow, he put his hands in his pocket like Kaoru had already done and made his way out the door.

"Maybe next time, Hikaru," Kaoru comforted. It was the last thing Haruhi heard before she was enveloped in silence. It felt nice. Now if only she could breathe right…Haruhi started to make her way back up the stairs to change just while they were gone, but there was a knock on the door.

"Coming!" Haruhi called, wishing she wasn't in the fancy dress to answer the door. She reached out and hurriedly opened the door, expecting to see someone, but only found herself staring at the strangest object sitting on the dirt. A spinning wheel. Was this supposed to be discreet. Haruhi grabbed a letter sitting on the top of the wheel and opened it up, only curious as to who would be so stupid as to so obviously place exactly what she was supposed to avoid in front of her doorstep.

"Couldn't think of a better way to get this to you," the note read, "I'll send you the check for shipping later." Haruhi knew instantly it had to be from Kyouya. Who else would charge her for her own demise?

"I'm not pricking my finger, if that's what they want…" Haruhi said quietly to herself. She'd rather not have a repeat of the Snow White incident. She looked around at the trees. Someone must be ready to take her away to that castle…Or maybe she would just end up there…Wait…wasn't she already supposed to be there?

Come on Haruhi, think…her thoughts ordered in haste, How can you do this so you can prevent the ending…? Haruhi felt rather satisfied only a moment later when she thought of the most wonderful idea. She reached out her finger and put it just close enough to the pin sticking from beside the wheel, but she was sure not to actually touch it. Instantly, Haruhi forced her knees to go slack, collapsing on the ground.

Haruhi almost immediately felt herself be whisked away, on a rather bumpy journey, to where she was supposed to have fallen. She wanted to see who it was taking her there, or how she was getting there in the first place, but she had to keep her eyes gently closed if she was going to finish this dream her own way.

The echo of footsteps told her she must be inside that tower Sleeping Beauty ended up in. Haruhi was about to give up the charade, feeling the motion sickness get to her stomach, but right before she opened her eyes, she felt herself be laid down on a soft, feathery mattress. It was so soft…Haruhi thought she might actually fall asleep just by accident.

Sleep sounds nice…Haruhi thought happily, forgetting she was already asleep. Her thoughts began to wander to places Haruhi would never remember, no matter how hard she tried. Going here and there, until a loud sound interrupted them. The door opened.

"Haruhi…?" a small, meek voice whispered from the doorway. Haruhi knew who it was. Who else could it be…? Based on all the other dreams, she should have just expected it.

"Wow, you look so pretty," Tamaki squeaked quietly, unintentionally quoting Hunny, "Oh, but…you're asleep aren't you?" Haruhi heard the soft sound of his footsteps as he walked over to her bed. She felt her blood pump energetically as she got ready to stop the "finale." But Haruhi only felt a tug at her feet. Tamaki must have sat down on the other end of the bed.

"You don't like this very much, do you Haruhi?" Tamaki asked sadly. Haruhi was beginning to grow suspicious that he knew she was really awake. But he just kept talking, so maybe he didn't…Haruhi was, once again, thoroughly confused by the mind of Tamaki.

"Fairytales, and things like that," Tamaki went on, "I like them a lot." Haruhi could practically hear him smiling. "They always end in a happily ever after. It's so wonderful! I guess I can see why you wouldn't like them, though…They are kind of…childish. But isn't it fun to act it out? We should do this at the club sometime! Hmm…but that would be hard to get across…" Haruhi just lay there quietly, wondering why he was rambling like this. "Prince Charming" wasn't supposed to ramble before he declared himself "in love" with his sleeping princess.

"I guess I'm straying from the point a bit," Tamaki laughed sheepishly, "I'm just…trying to say…I don't mind…I guess. This, you know…" He awkwardly released a laugh again. "I'm not doing too well, am I? I'm not even really supposed to be doing this, it is a fairytale after all. I'm just supposed to wake up the princess and everything's wonderful again. But…I think you should know first…" Haruhi felt her heart begin to pound, knowing Tamaki had scooted closer. She felt his fingers trace the side of her face, moving away a stray lock of hair Haruhi had hardly noticed was there until its absence. She felt Tamaki's heat lean over her. Haruhi couldn't get a proper breath, feeling Tamaki's on her face. Now would be a good time…Haruhi's panic warned.

"I don't know how to say it right," Tamaki softly whispered in a conclusion, "but…I think I've fallen in love with you, Haruhi." Haruhi felt her mind almost explode, despite her panic meter rise in fear. She felt Tamaki draw closer in, his lips just above hers.

"Yeah," he said in a voice even quieter than a whisper. Haruhi could practically feel his lips moving. "I have."

Haruhi bolted up right as she felt the very brush of a kiss, but she wasn't in a tower. She was laying on her bed, panting in the dark, silent interior of her own room. She frantically looked around, being sure she was out of the dream. Somehow, seeing the digital clock on her nightstand solved everything.

The numbers told her it was one in the morning. A regular, fantasy free morning. Haruhi sighed and let herself fall back onto her pillow. She wanted to believe she had just been in a nightmare, or maybe think of some explanation for why all her dreams were ending that way, but there was only one, lonely word of complaint glued in her mind that she couldn't erase: why? Haruhi had to conclude, though, that the worst part of it all was the fact she knew exactly why.


End file.
